


Broken

by ASkyOfKai



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Changing Tenses, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Light Angst, M/M, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 04:13:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18335963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASkyOfKai/pseuds/ASkyOfKai
Summary: Just a short winteriron oneshot I wrote instead of sleeping.





	Broken

There was a story that Tony's mother used to tell him. It was the story of Ragnarök. She would speak of the great Fimbulwinter, how the earth would freeze and humanity would be the first to go. The cracked, dry winds of Surtr would set Asgard on fire as the Æsir battled the Giants on Vigird. It will be the end of all that we know. 

It was this story that kept running through Tony's mind as he sat in a restaurant in New York, destruction all around him. The Norse gods were real. Thor himself was sitting to the right of Tony. 

"So," He said, setting his napkin down and looking at Thor. "How many of the myths are true?"

Thor froze. "What do you mean?"

"What's real and what's not? Are Sköl and Hati really running after the moon and sun right now? Did Man really come from Ymir's sweat? Did you seriously create the tides by drinking the ocean?"

"Err," Thor shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn't aware that Midgardians still read those old stories."

"We do. Are they true? Will the world really end with Ragnorök?"

"It's..." Thor hesitated, "Complicated. To put it simply, yes the stories are true. But due to the shifting nature of the universe and fate, we've been, ahh, reawoken."

"Reawoken?" Tony shifted his chair closer and leaned on the table, ignoring the confuses whispers of the other Avengers. 

"Our nature... We slept for a millennium, and still we sleep. What you see now is only a small part of my being. It's hard to explain. I will only truly awaken at the call of Heimdall's horn."

"Hold up," Steve Rogers held up a hand and scooted his chair closer to the table. "Thor are you saying that you're not actually here right now?"

"No I definitely am here. And so is Loki and Asgard is very much real. But my being, my conscious, it has been split and half of it lies asleep in the World Tree and half is awake here on Midgard. For all intents and purposes, I am fully here. But spiritually, I am not. When the Æsir fell asleep centuries ago, our minds created false images and that is what Asgard currently is. It is a projection of life."

"But is it real or not?"

Thor sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He gestured a little as he spoke, in that way people do when frustrated. "Yes it is real. I am real. But I am different because part of me is asleep. I do not know how to make you mortals understand. The Æsir are direct descendants of Celestials. We have power you cannot begin to imagine. I am real but I am also not here."

"That's....The strangest explanation I've ever heard." Tony tilted back in his chair. "I'm satisfied with it."

"Hang on, now I'm confused." Steve frowned. "Where are you then, Thor?"

"Not here." Thor shifted and crossed his arms. "Now drop it. I don't wish to discuss this anymore."

Steve leaned back, holding his hands up in surrender and muttering under his breath. "I just want to know how is all."

Getting used to the team was difficult, to say the least. Steve was exactly the poster boy that the old war stories made him out to be. Righteous and pompous and far too rule-abiding. Tony avoided Thor a lot, mainly because being around him caused questions and Thor didn't like questions about Norse mythology. Clint and Natasha were strange at times, but they were the most normal of the group. And that was really saying something, considering that both of them are assassins with messed up pasts. And lastly, Bruce. Tony got along with Bruce. He was quiet and reserved, the opposite of Tony, and intelligent, very much like Tony. The two would spend days in the lab together, working on projects and talking science. 

And then, Ultron. 

Ultron was the biggest fuckup of Tony's life. And he had a LOT of fuckups in his past. 

If he'd just been more careful. If he'd reinforced JARVIS's programs ahead of time. If he'd actually talked to someone instead of living in fear of another New York. If if if.

Then Steve was in DC a lot more and Bruce was gone and shit shit shit he fucked up. 

And then the Accords. Oh god the Accords. 

It was all too much. 

It was all happening too fast. 

One day he'd been joking with Bruce in the lab and teasing Cap and before he knew it, they were in an airport parking lot. 

And then. And _then._

As if things couldn't get worse. 

Cap's old friend Bucky, who was apparently the Winter Solider -- a complete, 70 year old ghost story up until now-- had been the one to murder his parents back in December 1991. 

And.  
Cap.  
_Knew._

Tony doesn't remember much of what happened next. He remembers cold, and betrayal, and he hasn't spoken to Steve since that fight. 

It's been two months. 

He's healing. 

Okay, maybe not healing. But he's putting it off his mind and working on projects. New suit upgrades. Nanotechnology, so he'll never been without armor. It'll regrow instantly when torn away. Perfect idea, right?

It's midnight and he's in the lab, humming along to Black Sabbath when his new AI, Friday, alerts him to a person in the building. Instantly, Tony is on guard, preparing to fight any intruders off. There's a noise and then--

James Buchanan Barnes. Is standing. In his lab. 

Tony blinks. And blinks again. His hand grips the metal rod he's holding tighter. 

"I'm sorry."

Tony jumps a little at the rough voice that comes from being the curtain of hair. His head is bowed, concealing any features that Tony could see. 

"What do you want?" Tony asks, his voice low and suspicious. "Is Captain Rogers with you?"

"Rogers," There's a pause, "Steve, isn't here. Its just me."

"Friday?" Tony asks, eyeing the other man. His clothes are a little ragged and worn. A glove covers one hand. 

"I can confirm sir, Sargent Barnes is alone."

"Okay." Tony relaxes his hold on the metal bar a little. "What should I call you?"

"I..." He looks up and Tony sees the pain and anguish etched into his face. "I don't know. That's why I came here. I want to know my past, I want to remember. But Steven, Rogers, Captain, he wants Bucky. Am I Bucky? Or am I someone else?"

"Okay," Tony breathes out slowly, contemplating the situation. "Okay. I'm going to come closer to you, okay?"

The solider nods and Tony sets the bar down. As he walks over, he wonders what in the fresh hell he's doing. 

"Is this okay?" Tony stops a couple feet away. The soldier nods. "Good. What do you need from me? What is your purpose for being here?"

"You," The solider frowns. "You're in my memory banks. I killed your parents. Mission report, December 16th, 1991."

Tony winces and ignores the stabbing feeling in his chest. "Yes you did. Any particular reason you brought that up?"

"I'm sorry." The soldier pauses. "That's what you and the Captain, Rogers, were fighting about?"

"Yeah." Tony's voice is tight. "Yeah that's what we were fighting about." He shakes his head, trying to clear the cobweb thoughts clinging in the dark recesses of his mind. "Let's not talk about it. I accept your apology."

The soldier nods. "Can I stay here? I think..." He pauses again, nervously licking his lips. "I think I can recover better here. Without Steve, Captain, Rogers."

And for just a second, Tony relishes the thought that Cap's best friend doesn't want to be around him as he gets better. 

"Of course. I'll have a room set up for you in no time and I'll have Fri start looking for therapists with the qualifications to help you."

"Thank you. And," The soldier's eyes dart around, as if looking for threats around him, "Call me James. For now."

James stays at the Tower. 

Recovery is slow. 

As he gets better and regains memories, he'll ask Tony to call him Bucky. 

He and Tony will grow closer. Bucky will spend hours in the lab, at first just sitting there, and then slowly joking and talking and having fun with Tony. 

The day he remembers how to make his mother's favorite cookies is the day that the kitchen will be covered from ceiling to floor in trays upon trays of cookies. 

Tony will tell Bucky about himself, and actually opens up to someone. He will tell him about the stories his mother spoke of. Bucky will say that he's like Fenrir, bound for ages with evil chains. Or perhaps he's Baldur, destined to die a terrible death.

That will be the first time they kiss. 

Tony will take Bucky's hands, look deep into his eyes, and tell him that he has never and will never be evil. And in that moment, Bucky will smile the widest he has in 70 years and fling his arms around Tony's neck and then they're kissing. 

They both do find it ironic that the hydra is a GREEK monster and it's actually the NORSE myths that are real. 

And it will be a long time before Bucky is comfortable with being friends with Steve again and a long long time before Tony trusts the Captain again. But they will eventually. 

For now though?

For now, they're standing in a workshop, as two broken souls that are finally ready to heal.

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh, I could probably take out that whole bit at the beginning with Thor and the mythology questions but also I'm STILL pissed off at how little actual mythology they used in Thor: Ragnarok so it's staying. And it doesn't quite fit with canon, so sorry about that but I did my best.


End file.
